Energy (Energy Efficiency)

House Bill 217 transfers the State Building Energy Conservation Program from the Department of Environmental Quality to the Architecture and Engineering Division within the Department of Administration. This means the A&E Division will now manage efforts to identify state-owned buildings for energy savings, conduct energy analyses, and implement improvements. The bill also allows the Department of Environmental Quality to retain certain federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds previously allocated to the program. This change affects state agencies and aims to consolidate the administration of state building energy efficiency.

SB 406 would require Montana's investor-owned utilities to implement energy conservation programs achieving at least 1% of their average annual electricity sales in savings by 2026. Utilities must conduct biennial assessments to identify cost-effective conservation opportunities (like efficient appliances, lighting, and grid improvements) and submit plans for commission approval. The law mandates that programs be funded through customer rates, with utilities allowed to recover costs and share in rewards for successful conservation investments. It aims to reduce peak electricity demand, improve grid reliability, and defer costly infrastructure investments without specifying outcomes.